THE RESIGNATION of a local Conservative councillor triggered a by-election yesterday.
Residents took to the polls after Chris Bailey, who served as both district and town councillor for Witham north, announced his resignation last month.
Mr Bailey said as he had tended to disagree with the leadership, particularly over issues like parking in Witham, he made a sensible choice to leave which would allow him to focus on his new business.
Labour gained a seat in the district council, with Philip Barlow winning the election with 339 votes, compared to 308 for current town councillor Lorne Campbell.
The Tories held their seat on the town council by just one vote with Jacky Bayford gaining 312 votes, compared to Labour Steven Goodfellow's 311.
The election for a Bumpstead district councillor, after the resignation of Robert Bolton, saw Tory Diana Garrod elected with 350 votes, compared to just 84 for UKIP and 45 for Labour.
This brings the composition of Braintree District council, which has 49 councillors, to:
Conservatives: 43
Labour: 3
Halstead Residents' Association: 2
Green Party: 1
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